Blog

It’s hard to see the devastation across the South and not want to do something right away. United Way of Pickens County joins United Ways across the US and the world to support the communities impacted by Hurricane Irma. Before I tell you the best way you can help, here is a message from Kate Bauer-Jones, CEO of United Way of the Florida Keys. It really touched my heart!

“Hi! Thank you so much for wanting to help. I'm the CEO of United Way of the Florida Keys, currently evacuated and waiting for word of my community, parts of which are absolutely destroyed. It will be many months...

Camp iRock Year 3 is one for the record books. To say it was amazing is a huge understatement. Although I missed the first three weeks of Camp iRock, I made up for it, spending nearly every day thereafter hanging out in the classroom, giving away books at family nights, and even catching a Friday field trip with the Pickens gang.

This year, I really took the time to get to know our families a little better. I was amazed at the diversity of living environments. Some children lived with their mom and dad and a couple of siblings. Others were in the foster care system and in the...

“And your name is Sam? (I made up that name to protect the innocent)”, asked the Camp iRock teacher? “DUH,” said Sam.

“This isn’t a great start”, thought the Camp iRock director.

It didn’t get any better as the day went on. Sam was belligerent, unruly, throwing chairs and generally being disruptive. When it was time to board the bus to return home, Sam was told he couldn’t come back to Camp iRock. Sam dissolved into tears and begged to be allowed to attend.

“How can we have you back? Your behavior could have hurt people”, said the Camp Director. “I am sorry but you can...

Alright…I must confess. I read obituary notices. Yes, I’m a daily obituary-column junkie. I know what you’re thinking…that makes me officially weird! But, it’s part of my early morning routine, as macabre as it sounds, and I just love it!

I’ve contemplated why I’m so fascinated with obituary notices. Perhaps it’s because I’m interested to see who I know that suddenly passed away. Or maybe, I’m just curious to learn about people, where they were born, how they lived their lives, who their “people" were (that’s a Southern term, ya know?), and how they died.

I had just started my first week as an intern at United Way of Pickens County (UWPC); Kayla and I barely knew each other, but there was this urgency to tell her everything I loved about this organization that I had only been a part of for a few days. From there, we were both caught in this beautiful web that is the non-profit world.

Graduation is less than two weeks away, and we’re both looking back over the past few months wondering how exactly we should put into words what United Way of Pickens...

The time has finally arrived for me to write about Camp iRock Year 3. I am so excited because honestly, it's the most wonderful program ever.

Camp iRock is an innovative summer literacy program that addresses "summer learning loss," a significant challenge for too many Pickens County children. It's a unique partnership between the School District, the YMCA and United Way.

Each partner is in charge of what they do best. The School District manages the literacy component, the Y brings more summer fun than any kid can handle and they build character and self-esteem, and United...

Fifteen years ago, I attended a United Way symposium about women in philanthropy hosted by my friends at United Way in Anderson County. There were a lot of amazing and passionate women in attendance, all who shared a common goal for changing their community. I came back to Pickens County on fire and ready to dive in head first.

“STOP”, my inner voice said. “You are not ready.” At the time, we were funding some amazing programs, but we hadn’t honed in on our community impact plan.

One thing I’ve learned in this job is that there is a right way to affect community change, and...

By the time this article is published, Thanksgiving will only be three weeks away. I love Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite time of year. I think back to my childhood and can almost smell the apple pie and cinnamon.

Even though I was born on June 30, I also celebrate a birthday on Nov. 24. You see, I was adopted and my parents brought me home on Nov. 24, the day before Thanksgiving. What kid gets two birthdays?

Counting your blessings was a big deal at my house, a practice that I continue today. I am one grateful person. For one thing, I love my job. I LOVE IT! How many people...

I am ready to talk about money. Earning it and avoiding the pitfalls of ruin. You might think this topic is easy for me, but it’s not.

I have a complicated lifelong relationship with money. Even the thought of writing about it in this column makes me uncomfortable. Why is that?

My childhood years were blissful. I wanted for nothing. I was happy. Then I turned 10. My parents said the free ride was over. WHAT? I was getting an allowance. AN ALLOWANCE! All of the things that I fully expected would be provided to me were now subject to the accomplishment of duties … WORK.